Who is leading the change
- Court Services Victoria
The Victorian Government fund and complete works to ensure all Magistrates’ Court of Victoria headquarter courts:
- provide safe waiting areas and rooms for co-located service providers
- provide accessibility for people with disabilities
- provide proper security staffing and equipment
- provide separate entry and exit points for applicants and respondents
- provide private interview rooms for use by registrars and service providers
- provide remote witness facilities, to allow witnesses to give evidence off site and from court-based interview rooms
- provide adequate facilities for children and ensure that courts are ‘child-friendly’
- use multi-lingual and multi-format signage
- use pre-existing local facilities and structures to accommodate proceedings or associated aspects of court business - for example, for use as safe waiting areas.
Prior to all family violence matters being heard and determined in specialist family violence courts, the Victorian Government should fund and complete works to ensure that those magistrates’ courts (and children’s courts) that deal with a high volume of family violence–related matters have similar capacity.
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Magistrates’ Court of Victoria is working with Court Services Victoria to plan and deliver the targeted capital works program at the seven locations funded in the 2021-22 Budget. This program will include works to:
- provide safe waiting areas and rooms for co-located service providers
- provide accessibility for people with disabilities
- provide proper security facilities
- provide separate entry and exit points for applicants and respondents
- provide private interview rooms for use by registrars and service providers
- provide remote witness facilities to allow witnesses to give evidence off site and from court-based interview rooms
- provide adequate facilities for children and ensure that courts are child-friendly.
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The works under this recommendation have been completed at Shepparton, Ballarat, Moorabbin, Heidelberg, and Frankston Magistrates’ Courts. The Victorian Government provided $35 million in the 2021-22 State Budget for capital works at an additional seven locations: Melbourne, Broadmeadows, Dandenong, Geelong, Latrobe Valley, Ringwood and Sunshine Magistrates Courts.
Magistrates’ Court Victoria and Court Services Victoria are planning the targeted capital works program to improve safety and accessibility at these seven locations. These works will be completed over the next four years. Once completed the new facilities will support increased safety and a specialist family violence court response.
Additionally, Bendigo and Wyndham Magistrates’ Court have also received funding for a Specialist Family Violence Court. Construction of the Bendigo Court is well progressed and is expected to commence operation in 2023, and plans have been developed for the Wyndham Court.
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Implemented.
Reviewed 27 January 2023